A survey operation can be used for acquiring data to identify subterranean elements of interest, such as hydrocarbon reservoirs, freshwater aquifers, gas injection zones, and so forth. In seismic surveying, seismic sources (such as seismic vibrators, air guns, or other types of sources) are placed at various locations on a land surface or sea floor, with the seismic sources activated to generate seismic waves directed into a subterranean structure.
The seismic waves generated by a seismic source travel into the subterranean structure, with a portion of the seismic waves reflected back to the surface for measurement by seismic receivers (e.g., geophones, accelerometers, etc.). These seismic receivers can produce signals that represent detected seismic waves.
In other examples, electromagnetic (EM) surveying can also be used. In EM surveying, EM sources are used to generate EM waves that are directed into a subterranean structure. EM waves affected by the subterranean structure are detected by EM receivers, which can produce signals that represent the detected EM waves.
Signals from survey receivers (seismic receivers or EM receivers) can be processed to yield information about the content and characteristic of the subterranean structure.